NewsStory

Gravitational waves could reveal planets around pairs of white dwarfs

KROV newsroom

11 Nov 2026, 12:31 pm IST1 min read

DiscussionThe story behind the news.

AI illustration of two pale stars and an imagined planet

A future space observatory could use gravitational waves to look for planets circling pairs of white dwarfs, the dense remnants of stars. NASA Science said on November 10 that two papers in The Astrophysical Journal describe how Casey McGrath and colleagues would look for those planets and check possible detections.

A sufficiently massive planet could pull on both stars and make the pair wobble, adding small shifts to their gravitational-wave signal. The researchers modelled how the planned LISA observatory might detect that pattern. They also explored whether the James Webb Space Telescope could confirm some candidates by measuring extra infrared light.

The studies describe possible future detections. The European Space Agency leads LISA, which is still in development and is scheduled to launch in the mid-2030s, NASA said.

Cover image is an AI-generated editorial illustration.

Sources and credits

Credit: NASA Science

More context. A clearer perspective.

KROV · CONVERSATION

Comments

Share your perspective respectfully. Comments appear after review. Please do not share personal information.

Loading comments…

Chandra detects X-rays from a star that flares roughly every 113 days

New way to filter starlight reveals a known planet in Webb data

NASA expects Voyager 1 to reach one light-day from Earth on November 18

NASA selects eight companies to compete for future Moon cargo flights

ESA releases Hera’s approach images ahead of asteroid impact survey